There were fears this year’s event could be the last due to cuts in funding.

However, Jim Simpson, Birmingham’s experienced music impresario behind the festival, said the public’s generosity and new funding partners had given him the confidence to organise the festival in 2026.

He said: “The real influence has been the overwhelming support shown by our audience.

“Not only were average audience numbers higher this year, but we were also humbled by many individuals’ generosity for the festival via financial contributions.

“These have ranged from old age pensioners insisting we accept a fiver to one individual donating £3,000.

“The current total of crowd-funding donations from the public has also nearly reached £6,000 and they are still coming in.

“Django Chutney, one of the bands in this year’s festival, even refused their performance fee to support us.”

He added: “On top of this, we have had new funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority, and we will explore this and other funding avenues for the 2026 festival.”

Mr Simpson said more funding is still required but there is now enough momentum to confirm the 42nd Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival will run from July 24 to August 2, 2026.

This year’s festival featured 178 performances, with 166 having free admission, across 101 venues.

The festival attracted an audience of 64,498 and featured 311 performers from the UK and overseas.

As well as West Midlands Combined Authority, sponsors were Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and The Musicians Union, who between them provided funding of £20,975, along with £5,731 from a GoFundMe campaign, and £3,637 from private donors.

A survey conducted during the 2025 festival received 1,216 written responses and found that 59 per cent of the audience came from Birmingham or Sandwell, 28 per cent from the rest of the West Midlands, 10 per cent from elsewhere in the UK, and 3 per cent from Europe and abroad.

An impressive 99 per cent rated performances ‘very good’ while 86 per cent said they expected to visit the festival again in 2026.